The present application also is a continuation-in-part of design application Ser. No. 29/113,063 filed Oct. 28, 1999 by Lee S. Weinerman et al, issued as U.S. Pat. No. D44,5015, entitled FRONT EXTERIOR PORTION OF A LATCH OR LOCK HOUSING WITH PUSH BUTTON OPERATOR, relating to appearance features of push button operators that may be utilized in the practice of the present invention, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Reference also is made to a concurrently filed design application, Ser. No. 29/131,819 filed by Lee S. Weinerman et al, issued as U.S. Pat. No. D447,002 entitled CLAMP BRACKET ASSEMBLY WITH J-SHAPED LINKAGE ARMS FOR USE WITH PUSH BUTTON LATCH AND LOCK OPERATING ASSEMBLIES, relating to appearance features of a clamp-on bracket and linkage assembly that can be attached to push button operator assemblies, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements 1) in weather resistant push button operators or xe2x80x9coperating assembliesxe2x80x9d for latches and locks that are capable of providing good service longevity in exterior environments, for example when used to secure tool boxes mounted on pickup trucks, or the like; 2) in bracket and linkage assemblies for connection to the housings of push button operators for adapting the push button operators to substantially concurrently operate a pair of remotely located latches or xe2x80x9clatch assemblies;xe2x80x9d and, 3) in push button controlled latch and lock systems for holding closed the hinged lids of tool boxes of the type often mounted on pickup trucks, or the like, where lockable push button operator assemblies are provided at opposite end regions of the body or lid of the tool box, with each of the push button operator assemblies being capable of concurrently releasing a pair of latch assemblies connected to the tool box body at substantially equally spaced locations on opposite sides of a center plane of the box, and wherein the systems utilize novel and improved symmetrical arrangements of the push button operators, the latch assemblies they operate, and the linkage components that interconnect the push button operators with the latches to offer smooth operation with substantially equal application of force, and to provide substantially the same operational xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d regardless of which of the two push button operator assemblies is used to substantially concurrently release the grip of the latch assemblies on suitably positioned strikers.
2. Prior Art
Push button operated latches and locks are well known. Over the years, many have been designed for relatively light duty interior applications where weather resistance is not of concern, for example to secure glove compartment doors in vehicles. More recently, some proposals have addressed the need for heavier duty push button operators to be used exteriorly, for example to secure the elongate doors of tool boxes of the type carried by pickup trucks, or the like. A drawback of previously proposed push button operator assemblies has been the ease with which moisture may seep past the push buttons and/or past the lockable key cylinders carried by the push buttons of these assemblies. If moisture can move with ease alongside the push buttons and/or alongside the key cylinders carried by the push buttons, this moisture may enter the tool box and may cause corrosion and damage to components of the locking system, to the tool box itself, and to the contents of the tool box. Thus, a need has remained for improved lockable push button operator assemblies that not only employ reliable sets of simply configured, easy to assemble components but also offer improved weather resistance.
Rotary latch assemblies are well known that employ a stamped, elongate housing which is provided near one end with a notch for receiving a latch striker, which is provided near the opposite end with a pivotal release lever, and which provides a notched rotary jaw carried by the housing together with other latch elements to enable the rotary jaw to retain the striker in the notch of the housing until released by pivoting the release lever from a retaining position to a release position. Among the patents that disclose a preferred type of rotary latch assembly that takes a simple and relatively inexpensive form that has a proven track record of reliability and service longevity (referred to hereinafter as the xe2x80x9cPatented Rotary Latch Assemblyxe2x80x9d) are the following patents issued to Lee S. Weinerman et al: U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,260 issued Aug. 8, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,295 issued Oct. 15, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,458 issued Dec. 24, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,076 issued Jan. 21, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,224 issued Mar. 18, 1997; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,948 issued Mar. 23, 1999. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein by reference.
Attention is particularly directed to U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,948 wherein features of the most recently improved form of the Patented Rotary Latch Assembly are disclosed, and to FIGS. 22-25 of this patent wherein examples are provided of some of the ways in which pivotal release levers may be connected to the housings of these latches. The rotary latches that are depicted in the drawings of the present application preferably take the improved form that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,948, have housing carried latch components that preferably are identical to those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,948, and preferably employ pivotal release levers that operate in substantially the same manner as the four differently configured release levers that are utilized by the four rotary latch embodiments depicted in FIGS. 22-25 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,948.
While it is known to provide elongate tool boxes of the type often mounted on pickup trucks with 1) a pair of rotary latches assemblies that are supported by the body of the tool box for receiving latch strikers that are carried by the hinged lid of the tool box, 2) a pair of lockable push button operator assemblies mounted on opposite ends of the tool box body, and 3) a linkage that interconnects the push button operator assemblies and the rotary latch assemblies to enable either of the push button operator assemblies to concurrently release the rotary latch assemblies, a number of drawbacks have been encountered with previously proposed systems of this type.
Among the drawbacks exhibited by prior proposals is the noticeably unequal magnitude of force that typically is required to operate the left and right push buttons to release the rotary latch assembliesxe2x80x94a distinct difference that exists because the linkage that interconnects the push button operator assemblies and the rotary latch assemblies is not xe2x80x9csymmetricalxe2x80x9d in character and tends to bind when more force is applied to one of its ends by one of the push buttons than when force is applied to the other of its ends by the other of the push buttons. Because the interconnection linkage is xe2x80x9cnon-symmetric,xe2x80x9d what each of the push button operator assemblies connects with is a different arrangement of linkage componentsxe2x80x94in essence, a linkage that offers a different arrangement of components to each of the left and right push button operator assemblies. Typically, one of the push buttons has a reversing crank located quite near to it, while the other push button therefore faces a linkage that has the reversing crank near the opposite end of its chain of components.
As those who are skilled in the art will readily appreciate, it is not unusual to find that very different magnitudes of force are required to move a chain of components through identical movements depending on which of the components that one selects to receive the force application that causes movement. Such is the case with prior proposals that utilize xe2x80x9cnon-symmetricxe2x80x9d linkages that differ significantly in character depending on which of the push button operators is called upon to operate these linkages. The resulting difference in required operating force and the tendency of prior interconnection linkages to bind more when operated by one of the push buttons than when operated by the other of the push buttons is not well received by purchasers and can generate undue wear and diminished service life.
With respect to another push-button-operator related subject, bracket and linkage assemblies have been proposed for attachment to the rear end regions of the housings of push button operator assemblies for the purpose of converting the forward-rearward movement of the push buttons to oppositely directed left and right movements for concurrently operating a pair of remotely located latches. The manner in which these bracket and linkage assemblies attach to the rear end regions of the housings of the push button operating assemblies often has left something to be desired. For example, inasmuch as these bracket and linkage assemblies sometimes need to be attached within the confines of the interiors of door assemblies after the push button operating assemblies have been installed by inserting the rear end regions of their housings through mounting holes defined by the exterior skins of the doors, the connections need to be easy-to-complete within a minimum of surrounding space.
Moreover, because the housings of the push button operators often are positioned in close proximity to structural elements of the doors on which they are mounted (or in close proximity to a complex of moving parts or closely adjacent the elements of other systems that are found inside the door structures and/or at locations behind the exterior skins of the doors on which they are mounted), it is desirable that the bracket and linkage assemblies be attachable to the rear-most part of the end regions of the housings of the push button operators in a manner that provides strong, rigid and correctly orienting connections without utilizing bracket elements or other mounting components such clips or other fastening devices that extend forwardly alongside the housings of the push button operators. These needs have not been adequately addressed by the bracket and linkage assemblies of prior proposals. Accordingly, a need has remained for improved bracket and linkage assemblies that can be connected rigidly, securely, and with real ease to the rear-most end regions of the housings of push button operator assemblies without employing bracket elements or mounting components that extend forwardly from the rear-most end regions of the housings on which the bracket and linkage assemblies are mounted.
The present invention addresses the foregoing and other drawbacks of the prior art by providing push button operator assemblies featuring improved weather resistance; improved bracket and linkage assemblies for attachment to the housings of the push button operator assemblies for operating left and right remotely located latches; and improved, fully symmetrical linkages for interconnecting left and right push button operator assemblies with the release levers of left and right rotary latch assemblies that preferably are of the Patented Rotary Latch Assembly type.
One feature resides in the provision of a latch and lock system having an interconnection linkage that is xe2x80x9csymmetricxe2x80x9d because it offers a substantially identical arrangement of linkage components to each of the push button operator assemblies. Each of the push button operator assemblies applies latch releasing force to a one rod-like link that connects with the pivotal release arm of the nearest rotary latch assembly, thence to still another rod-like link that connects with a centrally located reversing crank, thence to a third rod-like link that connects with the pivotal release arm of the other rotary latch assemblies. Neither of the push button operator assemblies sees linkage components that differ substantially in length or in character or in arrangement, hence each requires a substantially identical application of force to effect the release of the rotary latch assemblies from engagement with latch strikers that are carried by the hinged lid of the tool box, and each provides substantially the same operational xe2x80x9cfeel.xe2x80x9d
One feature resides in the provision of xe2x80x9csymmetricxe2x80x9d latch and lock systems that employ symmetrically arranged and configured push button operator assemblies at opposite end regions of the tool box that operate symmetrically arranged and configured rotary latch assemblies that are located at substantially equal distances from an imaginary center plane of the tool box utilizing an interconnection linkage that also is xe2x80x9csymmetricxe2x80x9d about the imaginary center plane by virtue of its utilizing a reversing crank that is pivoted as close as possible to the location of the imaginary center plane, and that has linkage components extending to the left of the center plane that preferably match the linkage components that extend to the right of the center plane, so that each of the symmetrical push button operator assemblies is called upon to operate a symmetrical arrangement of linkage components connected to symmetrical latch releases. Inasmuch as each of the push button operator assemblies operates a substantially identical arrangements of components, the magnitudes of force that must be applied to either of the push buttons to release the retaining engagement of the latches with the associated strikers are substantially identical, as is the operational xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d experienced by an operator when using either of the push buttons to concurrently unlatch the latch assemblies.
A further feature of the preferred practice of the present invention resides in the provision of push button operator assemblies that employ tubular push buttons having O-ring seals that operate along the inner and outer diameters of the tubular push buttons to resist the seepage of moisture through the push button operator assemblies. Also, as will become apparent from the detailed description that follows, the push button operators are of improved design and offer compact, easy to assemble sets of components of simple form that are well suited to providing long and reliable service.
Still another feature resides in the provision of improved clamp-on bracket and linkage assemblies that can be attached to the rear end regions of the housings of the push button operator assemblies for converting the forward-rearward movements of push buttons to oppositely directed left and right movements for concurrently operating a pair of remotely located left and right latch assemblies. The housings of the push button operator assemblies are provided with grooves that extend circumferentially about the rear end regions of the housings. Opposite sides of these grooves are engaged by concave formations of a pair of clamp-together components of the bracket and linkage assemblies to securely mount the bracket and linkage assemblies on the rear end regions of the housings. Cooperating formations preferably are provided on the housings at the bottoms of the grooves, and on the clamp-together components at the base of their concave formations to ensure that the bracket and linkage assemblies are properly oriented on the housings of the push button operator assemblies when the clamp-together components are secured by threaded fasteners that preferably are located rearwardly with respect to the housings. J-shaped linkage arms of the bracket and linkage assemblies convert rearward push button movements into equal and opposite pivotal movements of the J-shaped arms to unlatch a remote pair of latch assemblies.